Where is the best place to purchase a mattress in Ft. Lauderdale area? I am dazed and confused about this process. My current mattress is a 16 yr. old Simmons. I feel like I am sleeping in a canoe. Thinking along the lines of a foam or latex matress. What is the best? What is the difference between foam vs latex?
Looking for some input.:dry:
Hi notsmom,
I would suggest reading a couple of the articles on the site which hopefully will help you with a few basics about what you are looking for and help with some of the confusion.
First is post #1 here which has all the basic information, steps and guidelines you will need to make the best possible choices.
It also includes a link to this article which will help as well.
Finally this article about the different types of materials in the comfort layers and the different types of support cores will give you some information about the materials that are used in most mattresses.
There are basically 3 different types of foam. These are Polyurethane foam (polyfoam for short), memory foam (also called visco or visco elastic foam or “Nasa foam” among many other names), and latex foam. All of these are just different types of foam and each of them will act and feel different and last for different lengths of time. The comfort layer and support core overviews will give you some idea of the differences between them.
If you want more detailed information about either memory foam or latex foam (the two more expensive foams that are used in a mattress) … this article about the pros and cons of memory foam and this one about the pros and cons of latex should be helpful.
A mattress is only as good as the lowest quality material inside it so its important to only buy a mattress from an outlet which will tell you what is in every layer of your mattress and has the knowledge and willingness to tell you the difference between the materials. The best outlets also have the knowledge and the willingness to show you how to choose a mattress that gives you the best pressure relief, alignment, and feels the best for you. The goal is to find the best mattress for your height and weight, your body shape, your sleeping positions, and your preferences.
The places that are the most knowledgeable and also use the highest quality materials and have the best prices are almost always smaller or mid size manufacturers that either sell factory direct or through sleep shops that have more knowledgeable staff. They are also more interested in helping you find (or will build you) a mattress that is best for you rather than one that is best for their profit margin.
In your case you are fortunate that there are several local factory direct manufacturers in the area that typically make some better quality/value mattresses. They include …
http://www.comfortcustombedding.com/ Plantation. Local factory direct manufacturer that makes a full range of quality mattresses using latex, memory foam, innersprings. Will also custom build.
http://www.demattressinc.com/ Miami. Local factory direct manufacturer that makes a range of latex, memory foam, and innerspring mattresses. Will also custom build.
http://schraderbeds.com/ West Palm Beach. Local factory direct manufacturer that makes a full range of quality mattresses using latex, memory foam, and traditional innerspring/polyfoam mattresses. Are open about the materials they use and will also custom build.
http://www.zenomattress.com/ Ft Lauderdale. Local factory direct manufacturer. I talked with Jim (employee that has been with them for over a decade) and they are 3rd generation manufacturers who custom build using any material including memory foam, latex, and innersprings/polyfoam. Are open about their materials, and have good quality/value and have a range of mattresses on the floor for testing.
Shop Affordable Home Furnishings & Home Goods - IKEA Sweetwater, Sunrise, FL. See post #3 here for some of the better quality/value here.
http://www.nationalfoamproducts.com/ Pompano Beach, FL. Custom Foam mattresses (polyfoam, memory foam, latex).
http://www.starbeddingmfg.com/ Hialeah. I have talked to Gabriel (the son of the owner) and they specialize in wholesale manufacturing to retail outlets in their area and hotels but they also have a local showroom that sells factory direct. They mostly make innerspring/polyfoam mattresses that are better quality and value in low to mid budget ranges. Very knowledgeable and open about their mattresses.
http://www.floridabeddingcorp.com/ Medley. One and two sided innerspring/polyfoam mattresses only
Some of the local retailers that may also be worth considering that may have some good “possibilities” include …
http://www.floridaorganicmattress.com/ (Green Dwellers) Plantation. They are a retailer that carries Savvy Rest, Royal-Pedic, OMI mattress, and WJ Southard latex and latex/innerspring hybrid mattresses including some that use certified organic amterials. These are all high quality mattresses that would be of interest to consumers where organic certifications are more important. They are good for testing different types and combinations or latex but they can also carry more premium prices so make some good value comparisons here.
http://sleepnakedorganicmattress.com/ Retailer in Boca Raton, FL. They sell Savvy Rest, Naturepedic, Organicpedic (OMI), and Pure Talalay Bliss mattresses which are all very high quality mattresses and include some certified organic latex mattresses as well. Once again I would make some careful value comparisons since these can be in higher budget ranges as well.
http://www.aventuramattress.com/ North Miami Beach, FL. Retailer that carries Pure Latex Bliss, Sherwood, Nature’s Sleep who all make some good quality mattresses which may also be worth including in your research (as long as they provide the specs for the mattresses you are considering).
http://mattressxperts.biz/ Fort Lauderdale, Boynton Beach, FL. Pure Latex Bliss Talalay latex mattresses and Savvy Rest component latex mattresses.
http://sleepongreen.com/ Miami Beach, FL. Sleep on Green latex/coir/wool/cotton mattresses.
Bedding Barn - Locations and Store Hours Davie, Tamarac, Deerfield Beach, Boynton Beach, West Palm Beach, FL. Pure Latex Bliss, Jamison, Gold Bond, Symbol
Providing South Florida with quality sleep products for over 10 years... Paisley Furniture Fort Lauderdale, FL. Lady Americana, D’Angel
http://www.heavenlysleepbedding.com/ Boynton Beach, FL. Natural and synthetic latex mattresses.
http://www.citymattress.com/ Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Wellington, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Jensen Beach, FL. PranaSleep, Lotus, City Mattress, RedBed, SleepLogic. CAUTION: Make sure you can confirm the type and quality of all the materials in their mattresses here before considering any purchase.
http://www.brickellmattress.com/ Miami. Showroom and local store for http://www.selectfoam.com/ . They do carry some good quality mattresses and used to be a member of this site but because of ongoing customer service issues and delays their membership was terminated and I would read the warning here before considering them.
There are a few others that also make factory direct mattresses but they make marine mattresses so I’m including them for reference.
http://www.hmcwest.com/ or http://boatbeds.com/ Ft Lauderdale, FL. Marine mattresses only
http://shop.crewlinens.com/contact-us/ Fort Lauderdale, FL. By appointment only. Blue Wave yacht mattresses.
Some member feedback about some of these is in post #5 here and a forum search on each of them may also bring up more information.
This should give you some very good choices who not only use good quality materials but will likely have better value than any chain stores or major brands that you would otherwise spend time at or are more heavily advertised.
Hope this helps
Phoenix
Yes, this helps alot!
Thank you so much for your feedback. The information provided will keep me busy reading and learning about all the possible mattress choices. I will keep everyone abreast of my progress and eventual future purchase.:cheer:
Thanks again,
Notsmom
After visiting with 4 of the above suggested matteress stores. I only have one more to contact and my decision where to purchase my new matteress will be made. However, I have purchased a 3" (19 ILD) latex topper for my existing bed and have decided to buy a firm latex mattress.
The firmest latex mattress I have tested was a ILD of 40. It was encased in a very structured cotton cover. My 3" talalay topper is covered in a material that stretches.
Ok, my question pertains to mattress covers. What is better for the performance and durability of the latex matteress? Is is better for the latex to be encased in a structured typical mattress enclousure or to be covered in a thinner, pliable type of material?
Thanks for your input.
Notsmom
Hi notsmom,
As long as the material is thick enough to be suitable for a mattress ticking and protect the latex from oxidation (which most good manufacturers would have already made sure of) … then the choice between a quilted and unquilted ticking (cover) is really a matter of preference (I’m assuming here you mean quilted when you say “structured”).
Normally a stretchable knit material … whether it’s quilted (often with wool but other synthetic fibers or foam are also used) or unquilted will let you take advantage of the natural elasticity of latex more and be better for pressure relief. The advantage of wool is that it is very durable, breathable and temperature regulating.
Some of the tradeoffs of each choice are in this article. In essence if the quilting is wool or natural fiber … then you gain breathability and temperature regulation at the expense of some pressure relief in most cases. If the quilting is a soft synthetic fiber or foam … then you gain a softer “surface feel” that some people like at the expense of having lower quality materials with less durability above the latex (which is why I normally recommend no more than an inch of these types of materials so that any softening of the quilting is much less of an issue).
Either way though … more pliable materials (like a stretch knit) whether they are thicker or thinner are usually better as they don’t take away from the feel of the latex as much.
Phoenix
Ok, my heart is set on a LID 40, latex matteress. My first choice is E. J. Schrader Mattress Company. They have provided me with a price on an organic latex mattress. However, I have the opportunity to purchase a synthetic version at a reduced price. What are the concerns between synthetic vs. organic?
Thanks,
Notsmom
Hi notsmom,
This would depend on which type of latex was in the mattress and to some degree on what is meant by “organic” and the importance to you of the organic certification vs 100% natural which is basically the same material without the certification. This article has more information about the choice between natural and synthetic in the different types of latex.
If the mattress you are considering is made of Dunlop latex … then my preference would be either 100% natural or organic latex which would be very similar. There are only two companies which make Dunlop latex which has been certified as being organic. They are CocoLatex and Latex Green. There are many more which make 100% natural Dunlop latex which are very high quality latex with a similar natural latex content which have not gone through the organic certification process. Many places will call their 100% natural latex “organic” but to be organic it needs to have the USDA organic certification. Dunlop latex with the organic certification is more expensive than the 100% natural Dunlop versions of latex.
Organic and 100% natural Dunlop are both good choices and I would choose either of them over a blended version of Dunlop (partly NR or natural latex and partly SBR or synthetic latex). The reason for this with Dunlop latex is that with the greater density of Dunlop … the natural raw material is more elastic than a blend and has better properties IMO. The only time I would consider a blend in Dunlop latex would be for price reasons where a lower price is worth giving up the generally superior properties of the 100% natural latex. The choice between 100% natural and organic (which are both 100% natural) would depend on how important the organic certification was to me and whether I was willing to pay the higher price for basically the same material that wasn’t certified.
In Talalay it’s a different story. There is no organic talalay but there are versions which use 100% NR rubber and versions which use a blend of NR and SBR. Both are very high quality and have different advantages and disadvantages. The blend is more consistent in its feel across the surface of the mattress (has a more consistent ILD) and is also made in softer versions than the natural Talalay. The natural on the other hand has a slightly different and more elastic feel because of the greater elasticity of natural rubber but because of the difference in how Talalay latex is made … the difference is not great. In lower ILD’s (measures of softness), the blended Talalay is likely to be more durable than the 100% natural Talalay. While the 100% natural is more expensive than the blended version, both would make good choices depending on which qualities and preferences were more important to you. At the very highest end of the ILD scale (40 would be considered super firm) … the durability between them would not be nearly as significant.
I would avoid any Dunlop blend which was primarily or all synthetic latex even if the cost was significantly lower.
So I would first make sure that what you are considering really is “organic” Dunlop latex (again there is no organic Talalay). If it is organic and you wanted to lower the cost … then I would consider 100% natural Dunlop that did not have the organic certification which is lower priced.
If the mattress you are considering is Talalay latex on the other hand … then I would consider blended unless the slightly different feel of 100% natural Talalay or the importance of it being 100% natural was more important to you and for you was worth the greater price. Blended Talalay and 100% natural Dunlop would usually be in the same general price range.
One further consideration is that if you are looking at a mattress which has a 40 ILD Talalay latex core (not Dunlop) and no softer latex on top of this (which would be exceptionally firm by most people’s estimation), then the extra elasticity of 100% natural Talalay may be a better choice as it would be slightly more pressure relieving … even though both would be very firm.
I would also make sure that you are certain that a 40 ILD latex without a layer of softer latex over it really does provide the pressure relief that you need … especially if you are a side sleeper. Of course you can always add a topper over it if you find that you need a little bit of extra softness later on.
Phoenix
Thank you so much for your input. Last week, I started a conversation with another company. They promised to get back with me regarding additional information. Now I am armed with alittle more knowledge so I can ask some appropriate questions and make (hopefully) 
a good decision. I have already purchased my 3" talalay 19 ILD topper. So I believe the 40 ILD latex will provide support.
I will keep everyone posted as to my final decision.
Thanks again,
Notsmom